Hear that sound?
Yeah, that’s another one of your fantasy players obliterating his knee ligaments or tearing apart his shoulder.
Okay, you probably didn’t hear it because I have no clue what either of those injuries actually sound like, but if you’re a National Football League fan, you’ve likely noticed the rash of injuries that just won’t seem to stop this August.
Before preseason games even began, fantasy owners, as well as the Eagles and Chargers, were left without wide receivers Jeremy Maclin and Danario Alexander, who were first and second in receiving yards on their respective teams, because of torn ACLs.
And Maclin’s replacement, wide receiver Arrelious Benn, tore his ACL less than two weeks after Maclin, which should send chills to anyone who wants to catch passes in an Eagles uniform.
Those pass catchers aren’t the only ones whose seasons have ended before they even began.
Dolphins tight end Dustin Keller’s leg did everything but fly off his body, as he tore his ACL, MCL and PCL, while also dislocating his knee in a preseason game against the Texans.
Quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers will be under more pressure, with center Dan Koppen and tackle Bryan Bulaga each tearing their ACL (notice a theme) in training camp.
This is pure madness.
Players are going down due to injury left and right, and for the most part, there’s really no explanation.
Panelists on networks from Fox Sports 1 to ESPN are claiming that it could be that the game is getting faster, the players don’t practice enough or players aren’t as tough as they used to be.
I’d love to give you my opinion on what it is, but I’m a journalist, not a doctor or football player. Medical diagnoses and athleticism aren’t exactly skills in which I excel.
But what I can say is that this charade of having four preseason games simply doesn’t work.
It never has and never will. We know playing in the NFL is incredibly grueling and can take years off your life. And we also know the effect concussions have on brain regression and cognitive ability.
The more football there is, the more risks the league takes with its players’ lives.
These games don’t count anyways. The league should start acting like the well-being of its players does.
ch203310@ohiou.edu
@C_Hoppens
